Community Radio and Australian Music: Building the music media ecosystem sought to map and quantify the contributions made by Australia’s community music radio network to the country’s broader music ecosystem.
It did this by using a Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodology, calculating the economic value of community music radio in Australia with the use of proxies from the commercial sector (eg the price of a streaming subscription, the value of an artist marketing campaign, or the cost of media training that would be equivalent to the on-the-job learning experienced by station staff).
The project also tracked the social and cultural value of community music radio, particularly with respect to the development of local audiences, support of local artists and local music scenes, access to Australian music, and training of Australia’s music media workforce.
Community Radio and Australian Music: Building the music media ecosystem was an Australia Research Council funded research project, conducted by academics at Monash University and Griffith University between 2023-2026.
Creative Australia was an industry partner, along with the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia, the Community Broadcasting Foundation and APRA AMCOS.
Image credit: Body Type in the Triple R live room. Source: Clara Slewa,Triple R.
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This summary has been prepared by Creative Australia. Download the report (pdf)
Selected findings
Community radio music stations are a high-value national resource that is hiding in plain sight.
- 292 stations across the country form the core of the community radio music station network, possessing a developed music profile.
- 39 stations are identified as ‘high intensity’ music stations, and 71 stations are identified as ‘medium-intensity’ music stations.
The community music radio network provides significant cultural and economic benefits to the Australian music industries.
- For every $1 invested in community music radio, up to $5.55 is returned to the Australian music industries in socio-economic value. For the top 38 ‘high-intensity’ music stations, the median return is $2.47.
- In an average year, Australia’s community music radio network generates an estimated $151 million of added value to the music industry, in addition to airplay royalties.
Community music radio stations provide Australian music to Australia audiences and are central to local music ecosystems.
- Collectively, the community music radio network broadcasts an estimated 390,960 hours of Australian music each year. This is well over double the volume of Australian music broadcast by commercial radio (about 160,000 hours).
First Nations audiences feel a sense of ‘ownership’ and ‘belonging’ to Indigenous community radio stations in a way that is unique to the sector.
- 60% of listeners of Indigenous stations felt that music content on community radio contributes to their cultural experience and deserves financial support.
- Case study stations from the Indigenous media sector and their audiences report prioritising First Nations artists, both new and established; and playing new Australian country music artists which cements their unique offering in the Australian music landscape.
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View the full industry report - visit the Monash University website
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